A/N: Warning there are character deaths in here, one I am upset about; the others, not soo much. Also, kind of a bit of gore - sometimes in too much detail - and I can't stop the Negan language.
Smoke clouds, dark as midnight, eclipsed the emerging sun. Bodies riddled the ground, some motionless while others re-animating with deadly intentions; all so saturated in blood it was all you could smell. Bewildered residents who'd survived staggered the yard almost like walkers; in such a state of shock.
His mind was centered elsewhere despite the horrors that surrounded, the sublime presence before him, held tightly within his hands trembled lightly as tears glistened on her cheeks. Daryl couldn't remember how he ever managed to pry himself from her for anything, let alone into an open field flying with bullets and grenades; how he got so lucky to always make it back.
The sound of a clearing throat made him aware of presences other than theirs. Maggie and Jesus came up from behind, both looking as they'd climbed through a dumpster in a slaughterhouse. He let his hold of Carol ease feeling the familiar twinge of inhibitions; her hand trailing down the built line of his arm as she stepped back, but not relinquishing contact.
"About damn time buddy," Jesus nudged, ripping off his spattered knit cap.
Maggie's eyes went wide at the approaching sight of Ezekiel leading a group of Kingdom soldiers, donning full body armor and some on horseback; all being lead by a prowling Shiva. The tiger snarled at the barely mobile walkers she passed, the end of her keeper's ponderous staff driving through skull until it reached the ground below. Massive canines flared into sight with an awe-inspiring roar as she stepped back taking in the foursome.
"It's alright Shiva... these people are friends, they mean us no harm. "Ezekiel's words flowed slowly through the exaggerated cadence. His silvering dreads rustled haphazardly when he brought his attention back to the group, eyes running up Carol in a way that made Daryl uneasy.
Daryl had never claimed possession of her, nor would he ever think to; she's no ones object to be paraded around like some damn trophy. Would be demeaning to what she has made of herself and to what they have together to go all caveman and drag her back to his lair.
Though he was still suspicious of 'the king's' intentions behind his darting movements, could feel his blood beginning to simmer within his veins.
A large, heavy-set guard dressed in a thick polyester red jacket fumbles past the showman and his pet, concern prevalent on his browned skin. "Oh my God, Carol, are you okay?"
"Jerry, I'm fine... nothing I can't handle," she answered in a plain, matter of fact tone, running her fingers down the inside of Daryl's arm to find purchase within his hand. If he didn't know her better, Daryl may have assumed she was sending a message; one that was received soberingly in Ezekiel's face.
"We must make haste back to the safety behind the walls of the Kingdom, you and your group are welcome to seek refuge with us again, Carol. There is plenty of room-"
"We still haven't found Sasha," Maggie interrupted, obviously as uninspired with the act as Daryl. Ezekiel's glare became hardened, shoulders straightened with his turn towards the woman of intrusion. It was obvious that he had become accustomed to his wishes being taken as word; the level of pushback he'd encountered since Jesus had brought Rick to him with their proposal was draining.
"Negan is sure to be readying another attack. We will send sentries once we have reached safety, and maybe we will receive favorable news from Morgan and Richard, whom I sent to spread caution to Alexandria."
Daryl's thoughts darkened. Ezekiel was right about one thing, Negan wouldn't just be sitting on the sidelines … only teaching a lesson to the Hilltop; it wasn't the way he operated. No, he'd go after both communities simultaneously, break whatever rebellious spirit had been brewing. If what had happened here was a forerunner, Rick, Carl, Michonne, Aaron, Tara; their family was in a bottomless pit of hell right now, with no lifeline to grab hold of. He may not agree with some of Rick's decisions lately, hell he'd wanted to beat the shit out of him, but he was his brother; in some ways more than Merle ever was. Carol squeezed his hand giving him an attentive look, unbeknownst to him he'd tightened a vice-grip around hers.
"Like hell we are, if she's out there we're gonna find her!" Maggie's tenacity unwavering.
Jerry advanced quickly in front of Ezekiel, raising both hands in the air in to attempt to command a respite. "I think we passed one of their trucks on the way in, was bookin' it like a bat out of hell."
Nice to know that this guy and his group were already proving so useful, Daryl thought to himself; letting them just slip through their fingers steps outside of an obvious attack. What the hell had Jesus gotten them into?
"Need ta go to Alexandria... Negan will be..." he trailed off, not wanting to picture what they would find.
"I think there's a vehicle somewhere here that you haven't blown up." Jesus tried to make light of the situation, but not getting a hint of an upturn in anyone's face.
Ezekiel stewed, trying to appease an agitated Shiva who paced below his feet. The man seemed more interested in his personal walking, three-hundred pound, rabid bodyguard; beginning again with his nose turned up before Daryl couldn't contain himself any longer.
"Ya wanna go back 'n hide then so be it but don't be thinkin' that all hell ain't about to reign down on your lil' fantasyland. Take what's left o' these people and pretend the sky ain't faillin', but ya said you wanted ta fight ... then man up 'n grow a damn pair!" he growled, Carol's frame leant into his side, pressing hard enough that she might be worrying he'd hit the unwilling leader. Her hand tapped the muscle just above his heart, trying to quell the emotional surge.
"We're going," her voice calming and steady, like there was never any question for them; her unwavering belief in him was more than she could know. Her eyes turned to Ezekiel, transforming before him into the tenaciously dangerous protector he'd seen take on the world. "Don't bull shit a bull-shitter, it's time to stop acting... there's still good in this world worth fighting for."
It was an eerily silent first few minutes to another car ride which blended together with all the others for Daryl; so much time spent running to or from disaster, barely catching his breath in between. The busted-up roofless jeep, laden down with as many weapons as they could scavenge from the wreckage, lumbered strenuously through its worn down mechanics. Wind whistled across his face, setting in the remnants of human tissue.
Carol's delicate touch brought marginal stinging to his arm, examining the still weeping gash from a missing bullet. He didn't pull away, allowing her the knowledge he knows she would seek even without his cooperation; she pulled out the scissors from her sling, cutting into the fabric on her sleeve before ripping it. Wrapping the tattered fabric tightly to cease the active bleeding, she laid her palm gently on it, the warmth spreading through the dampened material along his skin.
"Mm fine," he tried to assuage the tense appearance that has gripped her beautiful features.
She brushed back his hair, revealing the beginnings of discoloration and a speckling rash of skin about his brow, he watches her strain to hold back a small sigh as her concern deepened. Daryl leaned into her hand as it caressed his cheek. He wished he could take the worry from her; after all of her own pain she must be managing, his minor wounds should be the last on her mind. A particularly large bump on the back roads sent her curling to her mended side, wincing back a forced yelp.
"Let me see." Daryl moved his hands to open the seal of her hoodie, nearly making it two inches down before she halted him with a firm grasp.
"I'm fine." A statement she automatically mutters without thinking anymore.
Their gazes remained encircled in each other, his rough hands not easing their anchor on the cotton fabric against her chest. She can say it to herself all she wants, doesn't make it true or make him believe her; maybe he's gotten better at reading her, or maybe she used to be a better liar. Whatever it is, doesn't matter to Daryl, needs to know that she's as okay as she can be. A fluttering heartbeat quivered close to his knuckles, Carol's eyes leaving his and finding Maggie's in the rearview mirror.
"Eyes forward Greene," he ordered, the gravel in his voice noticeable. Carol's eyes made their way back to his, which now he could see were suffused with anxiety. He remains unrelenting as if penetrating into her very being, pleading with her to let go and let him take care of her for once.
The vibrations of the metallic zipper sunk into the meat of his finger, even if the sound was drowned out by the whipping wind.
The full weight of understanding coursed through Daryl as his eyes took in her now exposed frame. Her pale freckled skin defaced a deep purple and cardinal along her chest, creeping up her collarbone, almost kissing her neck before rolling over her shoulder. His stomach twisted under the recognition; she had been ashamed of him seeing her like this, of him being disappointed in the absence of perfection. Nothing could be farther from the truth, though. His gaze steadied as his calloused fingers copied the ridges of discoloration, lifting a little each time her body tensed inward with discomfort. The pain she was willing to sustain for them all, the lengths she would push her body until it broke; he was in such awe of her it broke his heart.
"There any blood?" her voice cut through as he peeled away one side of the medical tape. The stitches were holding around a puff of irritated skin, color deepening along the sutures where skin and muscle pulled back.
"Nah," he shook his head.
"Told you I was fine."
Daryl let out a light scoff, wrapping the hoodie back around her and drawing the zipper up almost to her collarbone. The back of his knuckles dragged along her neck, bringing his thumb across the back of her jaw, fingers resting in the nape of her hairline. "Think five is good... let's stay there." His lips pressed into the warmth of her forehead.
Almost all the streets of Alexandria were empty, not a soul in sight, alive or dead. Everyone kneeled in a line spanning several houses in front of Rick's residence; the remaining original residents of the community whimpering lowly under baited breath. Lucille swung low to the road, blood emanating from the end as Negan paced along, stepping over the body that laid battered on the ground.
"Ain't this just a hum-dinger... Anybody else gettin' a little deja-vu?"
Rick's head remained bowed as he shook uncontrollably, trying to bite back every urge he had to draw his Colt and blow the maniacs brains out. Dwight hovered behind, favoring his right forearm whilst holding a gun squarely on him; thirty or more Saviors laid in wait behind.
A devilish smile came from Negan, thoroughly enjoying the carnage he's created. "Now that son of a bitch looked like HELL, must of pissed someone off real good to take that sort of beatin'... which one of you sorry shits was it, hmm? I KNOW it ain't you, Rick... not your sort of 'leadership' style." He began to laugh lightly as a hand rubbed over his mouth. "Oh I know you know who it was, even if he wasn't yours; they practically already did my job for me."
Morgan looked up to regard Richard's beaten remains staining the pavement, quiet breaths quickening while his memories raced.
Daryl straddled Richard, relentless in the fury of punches landing about his face in the middle of the field by the stables. Sweat pouring from his brow, almost insanity behind his eyes. Morgan runs to pull him off of the nearly unconscious man, dodging wild arm swings that look to shake him before pushing Daryl far enough away to suspend his fury.
"Anything fuckin' happens... swear ta God I'll kill ya!" he spat to the bleeding body below.
"Doesn't matter, they ain't here," Rick bore into a prowling Negan with hatred in his eyes. Negan sucked loudly against his teeth.
"That mean it's Daryl? Where IS everyone's favorite domesticated redneck, he run off cryin' like a little bitch after my little movie starring his woman?"
Various glances from the line shot sideways towards Rick, confusion and uncertainty bleeding through.
"Now THERE'S a gal that can take a beatin' and still get dinner on the table on time. Damn, I already miss her... such a waste of a good killer instinct and ass. She wouldn't have done something as STUPID as try to come at me from behind, when my BACK was TURNED. Looks like I did ya another favor there Rick, weedin' out the stupid in your little coup; you're gonna need all hands on deck if you think your gonna take me on." He thrust strong kicks into the middle of Richard's body over and over; Michonne turned away in disgust.
Negan's breathing was erratic and labored as his sight floated over the kneeling party, "So what I wanna know is ... who'd you get to rain DOOM level bullshit down on us out there? There's gotta be consequences, they shot Dwight there and cost him his favorite Daryl collectible; you people nearly took a chunk out of his penis already for GOD'S SAKE. I think the man's earned a little retribution."
Dwight's teeth ground sternly while his eyes couldn't look at the maniac he'd sworn to follow. There was only so much poking one could take.
Silence thundered around the open air madness. Michonne peeked up into the group; Rick, Aaron, Rosita, and Carl's gazes almost challenging Negan's. Her mind swirled with weighing every outcome, every possibility; none of which let them make it out of here alive, they were too outnumbered. Fright shook her soul when Negan growled, taking large steps in towards the line.
"Someone better start talking REAL soon or a lot more people gonna be joining this asshole!"
"You already killed him." The words shot out of her mouth before her brain had a chance to process them. Rick looked at her in shocked, both knew this was a bad idea before it even played out.
"Bunch a fuckin' lying bitches you got here Rick," Negan shouted, darting over to Michonne, rubbing the bloody end of Lucille down her forehead and nose. "I'm disappointed, didn't take you for being this stupid... thinkin' I'd actually believe that that cowardice sack of SHIT would be able or FUCKING WILLING to unleash holy hell down, for you? Fucker was only out to serve himself!"
He raised Lucille over a stone-faced Michonne, who buried any sign of fear. "Sorry Rick, guess I keep takin' away all your nice things..."
Morgan vaulted to his feet in one motion, standing up tall and calm. "I did it, it was me."
An objectified criticizing glare befell him from Negan, tapping his fingers on the butt of Lucille and menacingly ambling towards the man now flanked by multiple armed Saviors.
Morgan recited all he could remember from what Rick had told him, "I rigged a car to ram into your truck, waited in the trees with a rifle and started picking you off one by one; almost shot you but someone got in the way..."
Silence fell again for a tense few moments, Rick and Michonne not wanting to breathe; Negan mulled over Morgan's words, his empty eyes unblinking as he stared blankly. He took a long inhalation of air, "Well it seems everybody's dropping bombs today... the black ninja-turtle, bleedy over there..." Pausing as the edges of his mouth curled noxiously, "me on the Hilltop."
Acid churned within Rick's stomach, overwhelming waves of nausea made him feel like he was going to heave any second. Maggie and the baby, Carol, Daryl; he'd left them all defenseless when they were in the greatest need, for what? For his own damn pride being injured because he'd made yet another mistake? Those people, some of the ones he relied on and trusted most; all gone because he couldn't man up and take the consequences.
"I REALLY hope you folks have another doctor laying around. Unless Dr. Carson's real good at climbin' out of a BIG. DAMN. DEEP. FIREY. FUCKIN' PIT ... I'm thinkin' you're gonna be in the market."
A sweaty, grit-covered man double-timed his way up the street from in between houses to reach Negan's side, standing nervously as he leaned into the listening madman, his words inaudible to anyone else. Negan's face rapidly flushed from a smirk to an empty, haunting deadpan; the subservient man returning from which he came at an ominous nod.
He raised Lucille flush to his face, noisily taking in a full breath, pivoting to slam the weapon down into Richard's corpse seemingly hundreds of times; spraying body tissue through the air.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity FUCK!"
Negan swerved to bang his blood-soaked body into Rick's bent over posture. "SERIOUSLY?! Every time I think you can't do anything more ta PISS me off, you go to a WHOLE new level to prove to me just how brainless you fuckers are... did I not tell you there are rules?"
The Savior reappeared, totting an assault rifle in one hand while dragging a restrained woman with the other; her dark curly hair in a low bun, a bloody gash above one of her deep brown eyes and light brown skinned hands bound in front of her with thick rope.
"Anyone wanna tell me who this is?" Negan seethed. grabbing at the back of her neck and pushing forward.
Rising dread grew between Rick, Michonne, and Morgan; Sasha had been at the Hilltop. How did his men get a hold of her and what was she doing here?
"All I asked for was you not to lie to me... and you don't just do it once, but TWO FUCKING times. You think I'm gonna believe it's a damn coincidence that she's firing off at my people at Hilltop with THIS?" He motioned his head towards her weapon, still being held by the internally shaking Savior; the palpable anger from Negan reverberating into him. Time seemed to accelerate to an electric speed, the series of events happening too fast to stop or comprehend.
"You don't have to do this," Rick stuttered from his stupor, the terrorizing glare gone from his face.
"No, it was me!" Morgan called out, being pushed to the ground.
Sasha's eyes met Rick's, peacefully accepting her fate."It's okay," she mouthed.
"I really don't like doin' this, but you've left me no choice." Negan reached to his waistband under the leather jacket, extracting Carol's knife; yells from the group echoing as he shoved it into the back of her neck, the very tip emerging out the top of her jugular.
Carol watched as Sasha's form fell to the ground, heaving a few breaths while the blood pool surrounded her, all motion ceasing moments later.
This was her fault, he had used her knife to kill Sasha; if she'd not gone out and come into contact with them... maybe. Her head was spinning while she crouched hidden in her advantage point behind a block of solar panels, barely feeling the pressure of Daryl's shoulder against hers. His breathing ragged, almost at the breaking point of his rage, taking no notice to words coming from Jesus' mouth.
Shiva's roar initiated a melee of gunfire and shouts from the Alexandrian gate, drawing the attention of all - including the Saviors. Carol's mind snapped back to the present as a bolt flew from Daryl's crossbow, hissing past Negan's temple as he turned and anchoring itself in the eye of the parallel Savior, the man's grip releasing from the rifle as he fell. She followed suit, aiming and taking down three men behind their group before any of them could react.
If the gates of hell could open and the end of the world had not already started; she was sure this is what it would look like.
Jerry lead a band of Kingdom soldiers on horseback galloping into oncoming gunfire, smashing his oversized mallet into the heads of Saviors he passed. Michonne's katana swirled as she jumped up to both feet, blood spinning from its end as she moved through layers of foes; Morgan using the handgun Ezekiel had provided him as he made his way to his staff along the ground.
Rick chased forward with his Colt, screaming mindlessly as he fired at Saviors seeking cover; they ran into the onslaught of Shiva leaping through the air, claws and teeth shredding into soft, fleshy tissue. Ezekiel was not far behind, flanked by guards in body armor; one falling as a bullet pierced his skull.
Carol ran from her exposed position to behind a corner on a nearby deck, allowing her better sightlines into the war zone. She identified Dwight in the path of her assault, hesitating a few counts as she fought within herself, but finally pulling away and taking out the Savior advancing on Michonne.
Her concentration was shattered by a maniacal cackle to her right. Negan eyed her, advancing into a lunging swing of his bat, knocking in the side of the skull of one of her former neighbors.
Needing better cover to stop him, Carol leaped over the deck railing to turn in between the houses, only to stumble over Tobin's bullet-riddled body. She began to push back up as a boot sole pushed against her sternum; cascading waves of white heat blazed inside, stealing her breath.
Negan tore away the gun from her hands, sinking his boot into her side as he cackled."Damn, you're still alive? Such a BADASS ... I have never been more attracted to you, even with your face all screwed up." Her vision blurred from the pain riddling her body; he moved to hover over her with her knife ghosting through her hair. "Really is a waste."
A bullet seared through his shoulder, pulling a stream of blood along as it exited out the back of him. He rolled to his side, cursing obscenities; Carol moved with determination to get up and get out of his reach, her hand clamping down as hard as she could on the pistol in her sling. A blonde female Savior moved in behind her, lifting her armed limb to Carol and pursing her lips before the light from her face drained. Carol heard her drop, swerving around to see Daryl's wild eyes looking at her and an arrow protruding from the fallen woman's back. When she turned back, Negan was nowhere to be seen, only a small collection of blood sat feet away from her blood-caked knife.
The quiet was deafening. Strolling along the streets strewn with blood and bodies, Maggie knelt in an emotional heap over Sasha's lifeless body. Carol's family seemed unrecognizable to her as they move impassively through motions which have become all to common and familiar. She felt her pulse shaking her with each beat, the front of her head aching and light, her breath hitching as it quickened against her control.
Daryl's strong hand weaved behind her neck, drawing her eyes to his.
"Hey, y' okay?"
She didn't know how or what to say, still speechless when Rick emerged from somewhere close to them, bowing a few times before the words past his lips.
"We're headin' to the Kingdom … Dwight said to meet him there."